[[2026 Cafe Posts#^172725|2026 Cafe Posts]] I'm writing this in New Joisey! Waow. I haven't written anything or really thought a thought for the past few weeks, but if I stay here for about a month, which is looking likely, then I need to recreate some semblance of consistency, so I'm back at it. First of all I just wanna note that it's surprisingly difficult to find a nice place to sit and do something. And I don't mean because of lack of access to third spaces - that's a problem in most places but Jersey isn't one of them. Rather, I'm so used to my nice office chair and my nice desk and my nice keyboard and my nice monitor, all cultivated slowly and carefully over the years, that a change to that set-up fucks me up. I hate shrimping over a tablet, and most public spaces don't have tables. Plus, when they do, you can't really sit at them with your back straight unless you have mental discipline that I don't or are basically so pushed up against it the table will file a restraining order against you. But I've finally settled on a spot in the work cubes that are available in my sister's apartment complex, which I moved her into with help from a friend. My back thanks me for going through the trouble. Since I've gotten here, not much of note has happened up until yesterday. I did my usual circuit around Manhattan, performing my pilgrimage to ~~Mecca~~ Wafles & Dingus, spending more than I probably should at the [[Nintendo Store - New York|Nintendo Store]] - which finally can compete with the one in [[Nintendo Store - San Francisco|San Francisco]], and thank God for that, because ***FUCK*** [[San Francisco]]. I managed to successfully avoid Times Square in its entirety, phew. The move was excruciating. I don't know how it's humanly possible for a single person to own that many clothes & shoes, and my back absolutely did *not* thank me for carrying those. The part of Jersey she's moved into is quiet and in the middle of nowhere, which made for a weird first impression. The further north you go, the more you get back to civilization, starting with the absolute lovecraftian horror that is the American Dream Mall (affectionate). It took us about six and a half hours to see everything in that big-ass place, and that's just *seeing* - we didn't go to either of the theme parks or the aquariam. The place is a monument to America's excess, which makes the name fitting. But it also had good food, so I'm allowing it. Yesterday I got to catch up with some friends, for the first time in Jersey as opposed to our usual New York meet-up. We hit up Mitsuwa, a big-ass Japanese store connected to even *more* Japanese stores, including my third American Kinokunia. I am constantly searching for good Japanese Curry, and the only places I've been able to find it are Japan itself and Hawaii. After that Mitsuwa visit, I can confidently add it to the list and have a top three. Also at this Mitsuwa: Macha Soft-Serve so delicious I stopped bantering just to obliterate that shit. There was no time for jokes until I finished it off, and I will be going there to eat it again. ![[20260905_162126.jpg|700x525]] ![[20260905_174803.jpg|700x548]] We also went to the Gundam Planet, an unassuming warehouse that didn't even have a sign out front. I do not gunpla, but I do take pictures of stuff from people who are better at it than me. ![[20260905_183332.jpg|700x525]] The places we visited were great, but not the important part. There is very high risk the people involved yesterday are going to read this, so if you're allergic to sappiness, I beg of thee to look away. With that said, I've made it clear in no uncertain terms, in person, online, and on this website, that this year hasn't been so great. Yesterday's hangout was sorely needed. Being surrounded by good company, making jokes about some dumb shit and trying to get my friends to laugh was the salve I've needed and make the rest of this miserable year not feel so miserable, looking at it in the rear-view mirror. After unwinding from the corporate shithole I had to pretend to enjoy these past few years, being able to be myself for a while with people who enjoy the same shit I do felt like being put back together again, in a way. When I got back home, exhausted and carrying enough bags of Black Thunder to feed a small army, my mom said something that I whole-heartedly agree with: I have fantastic friends. So thank y'all. Uhhhh okay enough sincerity ummm let's see how do we bring this back. Chiikawa hates America as much as I hate my dad. That feels appropriate, yeah. Bye for now.